Hydraulic steering-gear.



C. E. PAINE.

HYDRAULIC STEERING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. n. 1916.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Inventor:

CecilEPqine, W W

fltt ys.

r Q Q 8 \w m k S c. E. P-AINE.

HYDRAULIC STEERING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17. 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ill

3 s A a g I Inventor: CecibEPogim,

Atty'a.

C. E. PAINE.

HYDRAULIC STEERING GEAR. APPLICATION FILED NOV- II. [9H5- .1,292,029. Patented Jai 21,1919.

. 4SHEETS-SHEETZL I Inventor: 136 E. Pcyi/ne fa-1W Atty's.

C. E. PAINE.

HYDRAULIC STEERING GEAR.

APPL'ICATION mzn Nov. 17. I916.

Patented Jan. 21,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

III/IIIIII/II Inventor: Cegi/ZEZPqinc.

Att .s.

reversible fluid com omen. a. mum, or 1mm, mama,

manor-1c. srnnnmaemn.

Bpecificatidn of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

Application filed November 17. 1916. Serial 1T0. 181,808.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, CECIL E. PAINE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Bath, Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic Steering- Gears, of which the following is a speci cation.

My present invention relates to improvements in fluid operated mechanism for steering vessels and as for its primary object to provide a construction in which the necessary fluid under pressure may be supplied to the rams at will without the necessity of any ressor or pump and also without requirin t e presence of any pressure storage tan or accumulator.

Other objects are to provide a steering gear or apparatus having various novel features of construction such as will hereinafter appear, and the invention includes the novel features of construction and arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and particular y defined by the appended claims.

An embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fire 1. is a plan viewof such a steering ap aratus, and,

ig. 2 i aside elevation.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic detail view.

Fi s. 4 and 5 are sectional detail views of the istributi valve.

Figs. 6 and are sectional views of my preferred form of centrifugal pump and,

Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views of the detachable cross head nut.

Fig. 10 is a detail dplan view of the telemotor apparatus, an

Fig. 11 is a detail view of the connections for o eratin the valve by hand.

Re erring y reference characters to this drawing the part designated by the numeral 22' is intended to be representative of the rudder 0st of a vessel, which post is provided w1th a rudder cross head 21. Links 19 and. 20 connect the opposite ends of this cross head with suitable cross-heads 24 and 23 respectively, on the reciprocating members 17 and 18 of the hydraulic rams. These rams, four in number, comprise the opposed pairis of cylinders 14, 15, and 13, 16 respective This member 18 has piston ends working in the first named pair of cylinders, and the member 17 has ston ends working. in the other pair or cylinders.

.The movable members are designed to be operated simultaneously in reverse directions' by the proper admission of fluid under pressure, (such for example as water) and its withdrawal or escape from the respective cylinders.

In order to secure a supply of fluid and distribute the same }properly without requiring the use of eit er a reversing motor .or pump, 1- provide one or more centrifugal pumps (two being shown in the accompany 1ng drawing as a desirable arran ement) designated respectively as 3 and 4. be advantage of using two pumps is that when theship is sailing on a straight course, or at reduced speed, less ower 1s required to operate the rudder and hence one centrifugal pump may be put out of action, thereby saving the power necessary to operate it. These centrifugal pumps may be of the known or any desired construction and are designed to be driven continuously in one direction by suitable irreversible motors, of which the electric motors 1 and 2, shown conventionally in the.;drawings, are intended to be ty ical. When running idle, to wit, when the istributing valve is closed so that no fluid is being suppliedto the rams to turn the rudder, the umps run against pressure so that 'fluid under pressure is always available when it is desired to admit the motive fluid to the rams to turn the rudder.

Centrifugal pumps operating against pressure, as'when the distributing valve is closed, are likely to heat up, and to prevent them from overheating I provide them with water jackets having chambers or spaces 74 for cooling water and sup ly and discharge pipes 74 and "(4 respect1vely, which may e supplied with water in any suitable manner. I

Water is admitted to the pumps through supply pipe 40 which branches'mto 40 leading to pump 3 and 40 leading to pump The discharge pipe from pump 3 1s indicated at 5 and fromdpump 4 at 5". These two ipes join and ischarge 1nto pipe 5 whic is the pressure pipe and leads to the control valve 6. A connecting p1pe 44 is shown which is to be used for a series of operations of cross connecting plpes 5 and 10. The operation of the pump is as folows: r

Both the su ply pipe and the delivery pipe between t e ranch pipesand cut ofi valves, indicated pumps are provided with diagrammatically in Fig. 3, which valves may be operated when one of the pumps is to be cut out.

-Puinp 3 when operating valves A and O oen while the valves B and D are closed. ump 4 operating singly has valve D open while the valves A, B. and C are closed. Pumps 3 and 4 operating in parallel have the v'alves,,A, C and D open and the valve B closed.-' Pumps 3 and 4 operating in series have the va D closed, while the valves B and .G are open.

vesAand The pipe connections between the distributing valve andram cylinders are also provided with valve controlled branches as shown in said Fig. 3, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

The valve casing of the distributing valve 6 is connected by a pipe 7 and connecting branches 8 and 9 to cylinders 13 and 14 and by pipe 10 through connecting branches 11 and 12 to cylinders 15 and 16.

Branch pipes 8 and 9 are provided with cut-01f valves E and F and branch pipes 11 and 12 are similarly provided with cut oil valves .G-and H. Pipes 8 and 12 are connected by a by-pass pipe controlled by a valve K and pipes 9 and 11 are connby a similar by pass pipe controlled .by va ve J.

-When the distributing valve is set so that v the fluid flows through pipe 7 to cylinders 13 and 14, the cross head between cylinders 13 and 16 is forced outwardly and thecross head between cylinders 14 and 15 moved inwardly, imparting a correspondin movement to the rudder post. During t is time .the fluid in c linders 15' and 16 escapes through branc es 11 and 12 and pipe 10 to the-discharge pi e 41.

When the distri uting valve is shifted so as to permit the 'fluid under ressure to flow through pipe 10 and branc es 11 and 12 to cylinders 15 and 16, the reverse action takes place, the fluid escapin from c linders 13 and 14 through the p pes whic be-.'

fore served for. conveying the pressure fluid.

The preferred .form of distributing valve is shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5.

Therein is the valve spool which has a lateral motion in either direction, traveling in bushings 56. Pressure from the pumps enters at passage. 5 and passes out through passages .7 or 10 according to the lateral motion glven the valve spool. In case the valve spool is 'moved tothe left passage 5 is con-' nected with passage 7 by the opening of port 60, allowing the liquld underpressure to pass through the pipes to their respective rams.

At the same time the-liquid which is re turned from the opposite rams through the singly has the I escapee spool 55, b means of a T slot milled in the valve spec and an engaging head on 57. Radial clearance is provided in the slot for compensating errors of alinement. Motion is given stem 57 through lever 28.

The arrangement of the pipe connections between thejrams and the control valves enables the cylinders to be worked in difierent q combinations as follows Four rams or cylinders in operation: The

valves E, F, G and H are opened and valves J and K closed. Three rams in operation;

the valves leading to operating cylinders should be left open and valve to the inoperative cylinder, also valves J and K closed. Two rams in operation; i. e. 13 and 16, 13 and 15, 14 and 15, or 14 and 16 would have valves leading to the operative cylinders open and valves t the inoperative cylinders and valves J and K closed.

For hand operation the pumps can be shut down; valves J and K to be left open.

-Whether the other valves are open' or closed is immaterial.

- I The distributing valve is controlled from a suitable telemotor of the ordinary or any desired construction suchas the Brown telemotor which, being of wellknown construction, is shown in a partly diagrammatic manner, the pistons 31 and 32 ofwhich,

working'in cylinders 31 and 32 actuate rockmg lever 30, through the cross-heads 31" and 32" and the links 'orpitmen 31 and.

32. The lever 30 is supported by and secured to vertical shaft 30 journaled in suitable fixed bearings 3O carried by a suit able part' of the ships frame. One end of.

the rocking lever 30 is connected to a longitudinally elastic link 29, which in turn is connected to one end of floating lever 28 pivotally connected to the stem of the distributing valve. The other end of this lever is connected b a, link 28 to a rocking lever 27 centrally plvoted to a fixed support, and having itsends connected by links 29 to the cross heads 23 and 24. When the distributing valve is shifted to admit fluid to cylinder 14, for example, and moves cross head 23 to the right, lever 27 is rocked, movmg link28 in the same direction, causing the distributing valve to be restored to neutral positionand the rudder to be held in the position to which it has been moved longitudinal travel to untilthe telemotor has been further operated.

-The distributing valve is also ca able of being operated mechanically from t e hand wheel 34 through shafting 33 and 33 and the bevel gear 33 fast on shaft 33 and meshin with bevel gear 33- which is fast on sha t and thereby is adapted to rock the lever 30.

Hand steering mechanism is also provided in the shape of one or more hand wheels 39 on shaft 39 which is connected to screw shaft 38. This in turn is detachably engaged by cross head nut 36, and when said nut is in engagement with the screw shaft operation of the steering wheels 39 imparts the nut, and through link and rocking lever 25 pivotally connected to the cross head of member 18 and fulcrumed at 25 imparts movement to link 20 and thereby to cross-head 21 and the rudder post 22.

The detachable connections for hand steering are shown in detail in Figs. 8 and 9 in which 38 is the hand gear screw, and 37 is a sleeve nut running on 38 and provided with a flange on one end flattened ofl on two opposite sides. 36 is the cross head nut which sleeve nut 37 fits intoand on one face has a slot machined in which the flattened flange of 37 fits, which keeps 37 from turning when 38 is rotated. is a retaining collar which is split to allow of assembling and has an internal shoulder which engages with a shoulder on cross head nut and a hole through its face and is in the shape of a round ended rectangle, which provides a lip at top and bottom, as shown. These lips engage with the flange on sleeve 37 and lock it in place. By rotating collar 45 90 the nut can be backed out until clear of said collar 45 by rotating screw shaft 38, orthe cross head36 can be moved away from the nut until clear of collar 45. Then the nut can be moved by hand back to its clear position where it is held by a spring actuated stop. Collar 45 is provided with a pin 46 actuated by a spring for keeping it either 1n a locked or free position. The cross head is guided top and bottom which prevents it from turnin and at the same time takes care of any si e thrust from links 35 allowing a free lateral motion. 47 is a guide bushing running'on tops of threads of 38.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1 1. In combination, a rudder post, a centrifugal pump connected with a source of fluid supply, a means for driving the same constantly in one direction, a double acting hydraulic ram operatively connected with said post,- pipe connections from said pum to the respective cylinders of the ram, ans

a. distributing valve adalpted to admit fluid from said pump into eit er cylinder at will and discharge it from the other cylinder said valve in neutral position closin sal pipe connections to the pump wher y the "latter operates against pressure accumulated in said pipe connections.

2. In combination, a rudder post, a pair of centrifugal pumps, independent means for driving said pumps constantly in one .to the respective cylinders of the ram, and a distributing valve adapted to admit fluid from said pump into either cylinder at will and discharge. it from the. other cylinder, and telemotor apparatus for operating said valve. 4. In combination, a centrifugal pump, means for driving the same constantly 1n one direction, a rudder post, a double actinlg hydraulic ram operatively connected wit said post, pipe connections from said pump to the respective cylinders of the ram, and a distributing valve ada ted to admit fluid from said pump into eit er cylinder at will and discharge it from the other cylinder, telemotor apparatus for operating said valve, and mechanically controlled means for also operating said valve.

5. In combination, a rudder post and cross head, a pair of rams connected respectively to opposite ends of said cross head, a centrifugal pump, pipe connections from said pump to said rams, a distributing valve in said connections controlling the admission" of fluid to and its discharge from said rams, and means for operating said valve, comprising a rocking lever having its ends connected respectively to the moving elements of said rams, a rocking lever fulcrumed on the stem of the distributing valve and having one end connected with one arm of said first named lever, and telemotor apparatus connected with the opposite end of said last named lever.

prising a rocking lever having ends coni aaeaoee nected respectively to the moving elements moving parts -linked to said cross head, of said rams, a rocking lever fulc'rumed 'on means for admitting pressure fluid at will the stem of the distributing valve and havto either of said rams, a lever having one 'ing one end connected with one armof said end fulcrumed to a fixed support, and its 5 first named lever, and telemotor apparatus intermediate portion pivotally connected to 15 connected with the oppositeend of said last a moving part of one of the rams, and menamed lever, said connections including an chemically operated means for applying elastic link. powerto the opposite end of said lever.

7 In combination, a steering post having In testimony whereof, I afii'x my signature. 10 a cross head, a pair of rams having their CECIL PAINE. 

